Going the Distance
by Lady Lynnaya
Summary: Songfic based on the song from Hercules. Ryoga and Ukyo wonder if they're going after the right people, and you can just guess what they decide. Ryoga+Ukyo. R+R, or feel the wrath of my llama.


A/n- I bet by now people are wondering if I write anything other than songfics. I do, but these are what I do between chapters in by bigger stories. (They can take awhile, especially if the chibi-muses won't cooperate) I've wanted to do a Ranma songfic, but it took me a while to find a good song for it. This is based on Michael Bolton's song I Can Go the Distance. It's for my favorite Ranma character of them all, Ryoga. He's just so kawaii! ^_^ I've always been a fan of the Ryoga+Ukyo pairing, and I let it show here. Standard disclaimer. The song and the anime aren't mine, so leave me alone. Ryoga+Ukyo. Enjoy the fic and don't hurt me if it sucks. I have a llama and I'm not afraid to unleash it.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
I Can Go the Distance  
  
  
  
Ryoga sat on the roof of the Tendo dojo, daydreaming about Akane again. How he longed to be in her arms as a human. In his eyes, her embraces didn't count when he was a pig. Then, he was just her pet. He plunged into depression. What would she do if he told her the truth? Would she be angry for all the times he'd slept with her, or would she be grateful because he was a gentleman about it? Would she shun both of his forms, or accept him as a human even more? What did he have that a girl like her would want? She already had two other guys after her, even if Kuno was an idiot and Ranma didn't really want her. But Ranma was strong (Ranma always beat him), he was handsome (he had Shampoo and Ukyo both going after him), he had the favor of Akane's family (her father wouldn't let any other man near her), and he could face Akane in both of his forms. Plus, Ranma had a better sense of direction than he did. Hell, everyone did. He got lost for four days walking fifty meters. Ryoga heaved a sigh heavy with melancholy. Who was he kidding? Akane had Ranma, why would she want him? Sure, Ryoga got along better with Akane, but Akane was promised to Ranma. Until he could prove he would be a better heir to the dojo than Ranma, Ryoga would be nothing but a backdrop in her life, meaning more to her as her pet pig than as her friend in his true, human form. He dreamed of a time when he would beat Ranma, win Akane's heart, be welcomed by her family, and be free of his curse, both his pig form and his horrible sense of direction. But that was only a dream. He came by his sense of direction genetically, as both his parents were always as lost as he was. Shampoo's great-grandmother was constantly training Ranma, so he was always getting stronger, and Ryoga just couldn't keep up. It was hopeless. He laid back and let the silence surround him as thoroughly as his sadness. Kasumi had the radio on in the kitchen, and he could hear strains of an unfamiliar song drift upward.  
  
I have often dreamed  
  
Of a far off place  
  
Where a hero's welcome would be waiting for me.   
  
'How fitting,' he thought, 'that this song should play when what it says mirrors what I feel.' The song continued to play while Ranma could be heard arguing with his father in the training hall.  
  
Where the crowds will cheer  
  
When they see my face  
  
And a voice keeps saying  
  
This is where I'm meant to be.   
  
That made him laugh. 'The way things have always been, I guess I'm meant to be one step behind Ranma for the rest of my life. Akane only cheers at the sight of my face when I'm a pig. The rest of the time the only one who cheers is Ukyo. I don't know why, though. She likes Ranma. Why would she be happy to see me?' Meanwhile, the song continued to play, Ranma continued to fight with his father, and Ryoga continued to listen.  
  
I'll be there someday  
  
I can go the distance.  
  
I will find my way  
  
If I can be strong.   
  
Ryoga was trying to figure out why Ukyo could always be so happy to see him. Was it because she knew he got along better with Akane, and knew he wanted to steal her from Ranma? If he took Akane, surely Ranma would choose Ukyo over Shampoo. Or maybe she just thought he was so pathetic, she just pretended to be happy to see him, just to make him feel like somebody liked having him around? Or did she truly like being with him? He began to really think about it, and he began to realize he always had more fun with Ukyo than he did with Akane. Maybe...  
  
I know ev'ry mile  
  
Will be worth my while.  
  
When I go the distance   
  
I'll be right where I belong.   
  
Maybe he was meant to be with Ukyo. The more he thought about it, the more it made sense. Many reasons why it would work started popping up in his mind. They made a good team, a great team, actually. He felt comfortable around her, like he knew he had nothing to hide or fear from her, like she would always understand. She's very understanding about his lack of a sense of direction, and she would probably take his piggy curse well, considering how well she took Ranma's curse. Maybe... maybe she was the one and not Akane. All of the things he hoped for with Akane, he already had with Ukyo. He had friendship, someone he could open up to, someone he could talk to and not have to worry about put-downs. Okay, so they fought a lot, but so did Ranma and Akane. Maybe, just maybe, she was the one where he belonged.  
  
Down an unknown road,  
  
To embrace my fate.  
  
Though that road may wander  
  
It will lead me to you.   
  
While Ryoga was up on the roof, pondering the facts and the proof, Ukyo stood below the awning he sat upon. Her thoughts drifted to Ranma, and how she felt for him. She still had a crush on him, after all these years. Somehow, though, it seemed that the years had dulled her feeling s for him. She sat down on the edge of the porch and looked up at the stars. Ranma never paid much attention to her unless she was trying to hit him with something. He may call her the 'cute fiancée', but still he seemed to care for Akane more. Ryoga treated her better. 'Ryoga,' she thought. 'He is so sweet. And so obviously stuck on Akane. Poor guy. She doesn't even notice he is there half the time. She treats her little pig better than she treats him.' She thought about Ryoga, and how she had fun talking to him while she worked, and how kind and polite he was to her, and what a great team they made. She smiled, remembering how they had won a race together and they got to go on a trip to any spring they chose. He seemed upset, apparently there was a specific spring he had wanted to go to but couldn't remember how to find. That hadn't surprised her. What had was how seamlessly they fit together as a team, as a pair. Maybe...no. They fought too much, they were both hung up on other people. 'You could help each other get over them,' said a little voice in the back of her mind. 'You know he treats you better than Ranma ever will. He pays attention to you, he listens to you, he spends time with you when everyone else is far away in their own worlds. Sure, you fight a lot. All couples do. And when you guys fight, you get over it quickly. You know what the best part of fighting is, right?' the voice said, making many valid points. Against her will, her mind replied, 'Making up.' She could hear Kasumi's radio playing in the kitchen, and began to listen.  
  
And a thousand years  
  
Would be worth the wait.  
  
It might take a lifetime,  
  
But somehow I'll see it through.   
  
Was Ryoga the one? She had sworn to love no man other than Ranma, but if Ryoga was the one she was meant to be with, she wasn't about to pass up on the chance to love. She had woven fantasies about her and Ranma. She had imagined how they would have a family together. He would get a job somewhere, and he would come home to her and their children. She would run the restaurant while he trained the kids in martial arts, and at night they would tuck them into bed and kiss them goodnight. Then they would pick up the last of the dirty dishes in the restaurant together, or he would talk to her from the counter while she mopped. Then they would go to bed, and she would cuddle against him, and she would feel safe and happy, and he would kiss her goodnight and tell her how much he loved her. Just for the hell of it, Ukyo imagined Ryoga instead of Ranma. For some reason, the images were far more appealing. They made her smile. She liked what she saw painted in her mind's eye. She realized she had a better chance with Ryoga than she did with Ranma. Maybe there was a reason. She decided to find Ryoga and talk to him about it. She was a bit nervous, but she realized then and there that she had come to like Ryoga a hell of a lot more than she had ever liked Ranma. It was time she did something.  
  
And I won't look back.  
  
I can go the distance.  
  
And I'll stay on track.  
  
No I won't accept defeat.  
  
It's an uphill slope  
  
But I won't lose hope  
  
Till I go the distance  
  
And my journey is complete.   
  
'Where could he be? Okay, think. He was at the restaurant earlier, and when I called half an hour ago he was still here. He wasn't in his room, or any of the training halls. He wasn't in Akane's room or any of the other rooms, so he must be out here somewhere. But where?' Ukyo thought hard as she looked for Ryoga. At that moment, Ranma and his father decided to take their dispute to the roof. They weren't paying attention to anything other than each other. They nearly fell off the roof twice, and managed to knock Ryoga off. Ukyo had returned to the porch she had sat on earlier when Ryoga landed at her feet. She kneeled next to him, asking him if he was all right. He rubbed his head, and nodded. 'I have had harder impacts to my head. A simple fall like that just bruised me.' He looked at Ukyo, expecting her to yell at him about being more careful when he was up on the roof, but she said nothing. She just looked at him. His heart fluttered. Could it be she had come to the same conclusion he had? Could there actually be a girl who wanted him as something other than a pet, something more than a friend? She liked Ranma, but at the moment she wouldn't stop starring at him. "Ukyo, what is it? Is there something on my face?" She jumped to her feet, startled, and helped him up.   
  
"No, there isn't." She looked at her feet, and face still looking down, she sneaked a peek at him. 'Something is up. Why is she acting like this?' wondered Ryoga. 'How do I say this? He may not feel the same way, he may not think of me that way, and I don't want to jeopardize our friendship. Well, they say actions speak louder than words. Here goes everything.' She grabbed Ryoga by his shirt, stood on her toes, and kissed him. For a moment, Ryoga couldn't believe what was happening to him. Was she really kissing him? Did this mean what he thought it meant? Was that her tongue?! Throwing his arms around her, he kissed her back. Both of them ignored Ranma and Genma on the roof. Instead, the listened to the song that still played.  
  
But to look beyond the glory is the hardest part,  
  
For a hero's strength is measured by his heart.   
  
She couldn't believe it. Finally, a man she knew would appreciate her. They pulled back from the kiss, still holding each other. They looked into each other's eyes, grinning like fools. Their hearts were soaring like eagles, and they were gasping for breath. After a few seconds, Ryoga pulled Ukyo into a passionate kiss. She gripped his shoulders. She couldn't let go. If she did, her light heart would make her float away. She didn't care how often they fought, they would always make it through. Ryoga didn't care if Ranma decided to start sleeping with Akane so P-chan couldn't, he had someone else to keep him warm. None of it mattered. Not anymore. Still, the song played, playing for the young couple that had just found peace.  
  
Like a shooting star,  
  
I can go the distance.  
  
I will search the world,  
  
I will face its harms.  
  
I don't care how far,  
  
I can go the distance,  
  
Till I find my hero's welcome  
  
Waiting in your arms.   
  
Suddenly, the night got really quiet. The instant of silence was followed closely by a loud yell, almost a scream. The pair looked up to see Ranma standing on the roof, looking at them with his jaw hanging around his knees. "When did you two... How long have.... What the hell..." Ranma couldn't seem to finish his sentences. He was shocked that the girl that had been pining for him most of her life and the boy that was hopelessly smitten with his fiancée would possibly get together. Genma, on the other hand, was crying with happiness for them. "Ignore my unromantic son, continue. This is so romantic! How sweet!" The old man covered his eyes with his arm, then lashed out at his son. "Why can't you be like Ryoga, and kiss the girl you love under the stars?" Ranma replied with several comments that are unprintable, which caused his father to attack him. Ryoga shook his head, smiled at Ukyo, and offered to walk her back to her apartment. She accepted, and asked him if he would like to spend the night and give Ranma time to adjust. 'Why not?' thought Ryoga, as he walked arm in arm with his new found love. As they walked away, the last strains of the song followed them.  
  
I would search the world,  
  
I would face its harms  
  
Till I find my hero's welcome  
  
Waiting in your arms."  
  
  
  
  
  
  
A/n-Okay, it's over. Let me know what you think. Flames are welcome, but beware my llama. She's hungry. If you are just one of those people who don't like the Ukyo/Ryoga pairing, kiss my @#%. I don't care what you think. All other comments need not fear the llama's wrath. In fact, the llama welcomes you with clever backflips and blueberry pancakes. 


End file.
